What are you listening to and WHY might anyone be interested? (Vol.IX)

On vinyl

Wieland Kuijken - viola da gamba (England 17th Century)

Sigiswald Kuijken - viola da gamba (Pierre Prévast, Paris 1634)

Robert Kohnen - harpsichord (Adlam & Burnett  after Ruckers 1974)

Recorded at the St.Stefanuskerk Melsen Belgium. May 1980

[DDD] Accent CD © 2011

An excellent earlier recording of Michel Godard on MA:

http://www.marecordings.com/ma...0&products_id=27

Haven't worked out how to insert an album cover via i-Pad, but listening to:

George Duke - Brazilian Love Affair on 1979 vinyl. Freshly cleaned today and sounding great.

So Great..... Best Album since a long Time.

Haim,

I need to listen to some *living* pianists for a change.

I dunno Uchida and Lewis constitute as *big names* but def. wanted to hear Pollini before he loses his chops.

btw, got the ticket for Aimard!

He might be more comfortable playing Debussy than Beethoven.

Vinyl

Kuma,

Is Aimard playing any Messiaen?

Roland Hanna - piano

Paul West - bass

Eddie Locke - drums

A must have for any jazz trio fan.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOeLbWNt8QE

Vinyl test pressing.

Nope.

Just Debussy Preludes Book 1 & 2. 

Basically he's gonna be playing this.

Is this his new record?

Very different set from his later very *gilded* DG set.
This is a 18 year old Pollini's Etudes.

Hi Kuma,

I'm not sure I believe my eyes.  Is this reissue now available on vinyl?  Any clues as to where I could pick this up?

BTW, on CD anyway, I think this one is the better recording over the DGG but I can't really say there is a big difference in his playing style from this to the DGG release and his Chopin of today...

It's just not fair.  An embarrassment of riches where you live.   From a distance, where I have no option to even turn these guys down, I think...  - How could you?  If I lived in a place like you I couldn't say no to such opportunities 

Sometimes a little light pop is all you want...

Hi EJ, I'm just having a bit of fun here (just my opinion) and don't have the time tonight to explain too much further the particular reasons and examples.  On the solid structuring, I left it because I ran out of ideas.  For this statement, I don't agree yet I don't disagree.  I had a listen to this tonight and while there is many positive things to say about his playing (which is and always has been stellar) I find for Chopin, it becomes clearer and clearer after every listen that his interpretation of Chopin in particular is too cold or sterile for me.  The last straw for me was his latest Preludes.  I just was terribly let down by them but it also confirmed his view of playing since the beginning.  Just completely unimaginative and clearly in the anti-emotion camp.  This works for some but it leaves me completely unmoved. 

Doug, there's no accounting for taste, it's wholly personal. To me, I don't find it either cold, sterile, or anti-emotion. You're not the first person to accuse Pollini of these traits of course, but I don't hear them. What I do hear - occasionally - is a driven quality that does not allow the music to breath as much as it could (and for me, that's part of the package that comes with his mercurial approach) and sometimes, when I saw him live, nervousness. Nervousness ruined Beethoven's Op.2 sonatas when I went to see him in Amsterdam some years ago. For that odd one out, there have been many wonderful concerts but he's more inconsistent than you'd guess from his records.

EJ

Originally Posted by Florestan:

I'm not sure I believe my eyes.  Is this reissue now available on vinyl?  Any clues as to where I could pick this up?

BTW, on CD anyway, I think this one is the better recording over the DGG but I can't really say there is a big difference in his playing style from this to the DGG release and his Chopin of today...

 

Florestan,

It seems this was just released in the US. I got my copy from Elusive Disc but you can also mail order from Acoustic Sounds if you are in the US. If you are in UK or in Europe, you can order it from the Testament UK direct.

This is a lot quieter than his Chopin Piano Concerto No.1 vinyl albeit this is still slightly off center. ( they can't seem to get the hole quite dead center for some reasons ) Tape hiss is stil present but the balance is better . Unlike the later DG pressing ('72 2530 291 )

 this pressing is free of peaky upper register notes but the piano is set back slightly. I miss DG recording's brilliance and dynamics a bit. Studio-bound dry acoustics with very little ambient air. Sounds stuffy and acoustically dead to me. It is very easy on ear but a bit too rolled off. I have not spun it in the main rig tho. 

So I am yet again having a slight QC issue with this pressing.

My GY8 original DG pressing isn't a particularly good one but at least the self noise is low and no off center hole. Low frequency info is entirely MIA, tho.

Anyways, the performance is an interesting contrast to what he did later. 

Are you going to get the new Decca vinyl?

I saw they are reissuing some of the Phillips titles.

This title would be good one to get as the used original is going for a $$.

Originally Posted by Florestan:

Just completely unimaginative and clearly in the anti-emotion camp.  This works for some but it leaves me completely unmoved.

Florestan,

Do you feel the same way with his Nocturnes, too?

His earlier Op.15 No.4 is one of my favourite. Gentle to 

turbulent in a split second. Pollini's Chopin isn't overly sweet but has a wry retrospective feel. Nice touch he adds a subtle period at the end. Beautiful.

Listening to the Op.27 No. 8.

Opulent and flowing but never sappy or over fragrant. Cristal clear tone and fingerwork sounds like a voices from afar. A streamlined ellegance. Beautiful melody making.( to me anyways ) A touch Schubertian but a stronger sweet moving melody line assures this is very Chopin.

Or his No.19 Op.72.

Sense of sorrow and sadness abound. High drama from the top. A greater dynamic expressions and feel a person's turmoil behind the tune. This is the fastest rendtion so far but he says so much more with very little.

I was actually taken back how effective his Nocturnes ( again to me ) are and gained a greater respect to this pianist.

Florestan,

We are lucky in that Chicago gets pretty good artists and visiting orchestras.

So much better since Barenboim's gone too.